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Parks Canada's National Historical
Sites Embrace Heritage Interpreter
Professional Certification
There is a growing
trend among Heritage Interpreters at Parks
Canada's National Historical Sites to become
Professionally Certified. Developed by
Heritage Interpretation specialists through
the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council
(CTHRC), Professional Certification
recognizes employee performance and their
knowledge of National Occupation Standards.
Benefits to employees include greater work
satisfaction, increased advancement
opportunities, increased mobility with
credentials recognized by the Canadian
tourism industry, and greater job security.
Benefits to employers include improved
customer service, reduced employee turnover,
and a knowledgeable, nationally recognized,
professional staff.
Parks Canada is a strong supporter of
Professional Certification. "It's critical
for organizations like ours to find efficient
ways to develop the professional potential of
our staff. In the case of these professional
standards we know that they came from
Heritage Interpreters themselves, and that
they were extensively vetted before achieving
their status as a national standard. We
believe in them to the point that we just
purchased occupational standards, workbooks
and the trainer's guides for each national
park and national historic site to encourage
more staff to become Professionally
Certified," says Jack Ricou, Manager,
Interpretation and Outreach Education, Parks
Canada National Office.
Many managers and supervisors of Heritage
Interpreters at National Historical Sites see
the return on investment from having
Professionally Certified staff. Millie Spence
is a manager at Parks Canada's Port au Choix
National Historic Site in northwestern
Newfoundland. This site offers people a rare
glimpse into human history, through the
perfectly preserved artifacts of four ancient
cultures, spanning an incredible 5500 years
of continuous habitation - a lot of history
for tourists to grasp in a brief tour bus
stop. When Ms. Spence learned about the CTHRC
Heritage Interpretation Professional
Certification offered by Hospitality
Newfoundland and Labrador it seemed like the
perfect option for her interpretation staff.
"The program covers a whole range of skills
our interpreters require," she explains. "It
offers a broad general overview of the field
and teaches interpreters the specific
techniques they need to capture the interest
of different audiences."
Irwin Wilson, a Heritage Presentation
Specialist at Batoche National Historic Site,
a former Métis village located on the
banks of the South Saskatchewan River has
three Professionally Certified Heritage
Interpreters on staff and plans to have six
more interpreters become Professionally
Certified by August 2002. Mr. Wilson has long
been a supporter of this nationally
recognized credential. "It's important for
the staff to be recognized for their
performance and skills, and in turn, visitors
to Batoche are assured an interaction with a
knowledgeable and highly credible
professional. Our Professionally Certified
interpreters have experience ranging from 2
to 16 years."
Tracey Verishine, is a Heritage Presentation
Specialist at Parks Canada's Fort Battleford
National Historic Site in Saskatchewan. The
site showcases the role of the North West
Mounted Police in the Canadian west. Ms.
Verishine achieved her Heritage Interpreter
Professional Certification because she feels
it's important to stay "current" and wanted
to set an example for her staff. Tracey
encourages her interpreters to become
certified and would like to see Heritage
Interpretation more widely recognized as a
"profession".
For further information on Heritage
Interpreter Professional Certification call
YTEC at 867-667-4733.
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